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Episode:The Camping Show
| image = | caption = Al, Bud and Steve venture on an intended "all-guys" vacation. | season = 3 | episode = 4 | taping = October 21, 1988 | airdate = December 11, 1988 | overall = 39 | writers = Sandy Sprung Marcy Vosburgh | directors = Gerry Cohen | guests = Frank Foti Jr. (uncredited) | network = FOX | production = 3.01 | previous = "Poke High" | next = "A Dump of My Own" | imdb = tt0642389 }}The Camping Show (aka A Period Piece) is the fourth episode of Season 3 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 39th overall episode in the series. Written by Sandy Sprung and Marcy Vosburgh, the episode was directed by Gerry Cohen and premiered on FOX on December 11, 1988. Synopsis A guys-only fishing trip with Al, Bud and Steve turns sour when Steve invites Marcy who then invites Peggy and Kelly on the trip — and things get worse when all three of the women have their periods simultaneously. Plot Cast Regular Cast *Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy *Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy *Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy *David Faustino as Bud Bundy *Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades *David Garrison as Steve Rhoades *Buck the dog as Buck Bundy (uncredited) Guest stars *Frank Foti Jr. as Grizzly Bear (uncredited) Notes Title *The original title "A Period Piece" is a common phrase for a piece of fiction set at a specific time in history but in the context of the episode it refers to the 3 women who start to menstruate during the camping trip. *However, FOX Network censors were concerned about the title and the episode as a whole to be offensive to women (even though the episode was written by two women and the episode title never appeared on screen) and requested that the title be changed. *"The Camping Show" simply refers to the Bundys and Rhoades' going on a camping trip. Trivia *This episode was originally set to air as the season premiere but since the FOX censors were concerned about it being too offensive, the air date was postponed. **TV Guide, November 12-18, 1988: Fox Delays Married "Period" Episode, by Jeff Kaye *Michael Moye has mentioned in an interview that the idea for the episode came from a newspaper article about women who spend a lot of time together synchronizing their menstrual cycles, which was brought to his attention by the female writers. He trusted them to write this episode as he was sure they would know what is offensive to women and what is not when it comes to the topic of menstruation. To this day, the process of menstrual synchrony has not been proven. *Kelly, Peggy and Marcy experience many common PMS symptoms in this episode including irritability, abdominal cramps, fever, dizziness, headaches, mood swings, sadness, bloating, weight gain, increased sex drive, fluid retention, back pain, and food cravings. These symptoms can vary from person to person and may not necessarily occur every month. *Peggy wears a very modest and loose nightgown that differs significantly from her usual silky and figure-accentuating nightgowns/negligees. This might indicate that the nightgown she wears in this episode is one she only wears when she is on her period, similar to many women having specific underwear that they reserve for their time of the month, as it is likely more comfortable. *Steve mentions that wild animals can sense when women are menstruating. Moye got the inspiration for this plot point from the ''Silver Spoons episode "I'm Just Wild About Harry", where an orangutan was brought in and suddenly got very distracted during the shooting of a scene so the trainer said that if a woman on set is menstruating, that is what upsetting the orangutan. This is a myth that emerged in 1967 when two women, one of whom was menstruating, were attacked by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park and in response a brochure called Grizzly, Grizzly, Grizzly, advising women to "stay out of bear country during their menstrual period" was published by the National Park Service and United States Forest Service. However, it has since been stated that "there is no evidence that grizzly bears are overly attracted to menstrual odors ... and there is no statistical evidence that known bear attacks have been related to menstruation".Nature Is a Woman's Place: How the Myth That Bears Are a Danger to Menstruating Women Spread *Marcy mentions how she hates it when Steve refuses to ask for directions. In "Build a Better Mousetrap" Steve tells Al how he finds it irritating when he is out driving with Marcy and she wants to ask for directions. Cultural References *Kelly parodies Bette Davis' line from the 1949 film Beyond the Forest when she looks around the cabin and says "What a dump." *After Marcy suggest that they all go on a nature hunt, Al sarcastically suggests to Marcy that they should all get naked and sing the American folk song, "This Land Is Your Land". *When describing how she hate everything about Steve, Marcy tells him that she hates "Every breath you take. Every move you make", referring to the song "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. *Al scarcastically refers to the women as members of the Seven Dwarfs from the fairy tale and cartoon Snow White. Music *Al and Steve hum and air-play the song "Dueling Banjos" from the 1972 film Deliverance. There has been some online debate whether or not Ed O'Neill made his acting debut in that film as a deputy. Ed O'Neill himself has said he is not in the movie, and does not know where this piece of information originated. His first movie was Cruising in 1980. Locations *Bundy Residence *Michigan Cabin Sets *Bundy Living Room/Kitchen *Michigan Cabin Goofs *On the second morning at the cabin, the caption "Day Two...6:52 AM" is shown. No more than three minutes later, Peggy says "Al...it is 7:30 in the morning!" Links & References References External Links * *''A Period Piece'' on Bundyology *''A Period Piece - First Draft Script'' on albundy.net *''A Period Piece - Transcript'' on albundy.net *''#40 The Camping Show'' - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia Category:MWC Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Episodes